Frozen Moonlight
by ReadingWhiz89
Summary: [Trigun mangaverse with MAJOR spoilers] Meryl wanders alone amidst the debris following the battle between Vash and Knives. But, she's about to lose something precious to her. Or rather, someone.


Disclaimer: Trigun belongs to the almighty Yasuhiro Nightow, to whom I am a peon in comparison.

A/N: Wouldn't you know it? I decided to make a somewhat Christmassy one-shot, too. This is a gift for Puchiko2, a fellow Trigun fanfiction author. The pic which inspired this fic (done by none other than Abo) is in my profile. Hehe…

WARNINGS: Fluff and major spoilers for the end of Trigun Maximum. Proceed at your own risk.

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**Frozen Moonlight**

All was silent on the site of the battlefield where the fate of the human race had been decided, once and for all. Rubble and debris were strewn everywhere, a testament to the level of violence and carnage that had taken place there. However, now the fighting was over, and the darkened sky shimmered as specks of light drifted down from the heavens.

Amongst the wreckage, a small figure stirred. "Ugh…"

Meryl Stryfe groaned and turned over on her side. _What happened?_

She pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing as her head throbbed painfully. She reached upward hesitantly and ran her fingers through her short, black hair. When she lifted her fingers away, they were sticky and wet, stained crimson.

_I must have hit my head when I fell. But…why did I fall?_

Meryl tried to recall what had happened, step by step. She remembered somehow becoming separated from Millie during the chaos, the Earth ships, explosions everywhere, Knives…

She jerked her head up, searching the skies frantically for any sign of him. However, there was nothing there. Meryl sighed with relief, her face in her hands. But, if Knives was no longer up there, where had he gone?

Her eyes widened as images flashed before her eyes. Meryl remember running through the ruins, calling Vash's name, when a mass of light began to plummet down from the sky. A humanoid mass of light with…wings…

"Knives…" Meryl breathed.

That mass, that light. It had been Knives. Wracking her mind, Meryl struggled to remember the rest…

_Knives streaked down from the darkened sky, an inhuman shriek ripping from his lips and he plunged further downward. Meryl watched with horror as he came closer and closer to the ground. He was aiming for something. That was the only explanation she could think of for this suicidal dive._

But what? What is he aiming at?

_It came to her in a flash. Vash. He was aiming for Vash._

_Meryl ran, stumbling as she went, barely managing to remain standing. Still, she did not stop, did not slow down, because she knew that wherever Knives was heading was where Vash would be._

_Then, just as Knives seemed almost ready to smash into the ground, a large blast of light roared out from below, swallowing Knives whole. Knives shrieked again, his voice a mesh of his own, as well as other female ones, as he was blasted into the air._

_**BOOM!**_

An explosion rocked the foundations of the ground Meryl was standing on, and she pitched forward, banging her head on a rock, darkness closing in.

Meryl looked up, her palms facing upwards as one of the lights drifting down from the sky and alighted on her hand. It was surprisingly cool, like a frozen bit of moonlight. It flickered a couple times before disappearing.

_I don't have time for this. I need to find Vash! _Meryl thought urgently, feeling a twinge of panic coming on. _Calm down, Stryfe,_ she told herself. _If I remember correctly, the blast came from somewhere over…there!_

Picking her way through the mess as quickly as possible, Meryl walked towards the spot where she hoped Vash had been. She tripped once or twice, scraping her knees up a little, but she did not care. She had to find Vash.

Finally, she stopped, huffing a little as she stood in the spot where she thought she had last seen Knives. Wandering around some, Meryl noticed the scorch marks that had stained the stones black. Her stomach knotting, Meryl looked around, hoping to find some clue.

"Vash-san?" she called. "Are you here? Vash-san?"

There was no reply. Meryl called again. And again. But still, she received no answer. Sinking to her knees, Meryl covered her mouth with her hand, muffling the small sobs escaping from her. Her eyes burned, and Meryl brushed at them roughly, determined not to cry.

Then, she heard something. It was stifled, but Meryl was sure she heard it. She stood up, and began wandering around the area again.

"Vash-san?"

The sound came again, and Meryl rushed to see where it had come from. When she found the source, the breath caught in her throat.

Vash the Stampede lay pinned beneath a particularly large chunk of rubble, his hair and coat dyed pitch black while the blood smeared on his face belied the stark white hue of his face. He looked up at her and gave her a watery, pain-filled smile.

"What's…up?" he wheezed.

"Vash-san!" Meryl gasped. "Hold on! I'll get it off of you!"

She began to push against the stone, the rough edges cutting her skin as she heaved. Still, Meryl refused to quit, ignoring the blood oozing from the abrasions. Finally, the rock rolled away. Vash hissed with pain, his body jerking up in spasm.

"Vash-san!" Meryl cried, rushing forward to catch him as he fell backwards.

Vash blinked, staring at her. "You…why did you come?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

Meryl bit her lip. "I…I had to come. I couldn't just…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say.

He nodded slightly, wincing with pain. "I…understand."

"Vash-san. We have to get you some help!" Meryl insisted urgently.

He grabbed her hand. "No. It's…not worth it…"

"Vash-san, don't say things like that!" Meryl protested. She stopped short when he squeezed her hand harder.

"Meryl…I have nothing left," he rasped.

"What do you-?" Meryl trailed off, staring at Vash's hair. Not a single strand of blond left.

Vash coughed violently, red-tinged spittle flying out as blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. "I…told you…"

Meryl shook her head vigorously. "No! There…there must be a way!"

The corners of Vash's lips lifted slightly. "There's nothing…you can do. When I…blasted Knives that last time…I knew…"

Tears leaked out of Meryl's eyes as they became too strong to hold back. "But…why?"

Vash closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "I had to," he stated quietly before hacking violently once more, blood splattering the front of his coat.

"Vash-san, we have to treat your wounds!" Meryl cried.

Vash shook his head slowly. "No. My injuries are…too severe," he whispered hoarsely. "My lower body…it's been crushed. I'm…internally bleeding. And," he smiled weakly again, "I…I'm spent."

"Vash-san, you can't-!"

He raised a finger to his lips, silencing her. Vash continued to stare at her, the same sad smile on his face. As the tears continued to course down her cheeks in rivulets, she wondered why he was looking at her like that.

"Don't…don't call me that anymore."

Meryl sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut as she pulled Vash into a tighter embrace. _It's not fair!_ she raged, grief stricken, within the confines of her own mind. _He doesn't deserve to die!_

She barely noticed when Vash pulled away from the embrace slightly. It was only when she felt a warm pressure on her lips when she snapped her eyes open, wide and staring. Vash gazed back at her, his face calm, his aqua eye serene. Meryl did not move, not wanting the moment to end…

Then, Vash pulled away, his warmth lingering on her lips. She stared at him, numb with shock. He smiled again, and it struck her how much he was smiling even though he was dying.

"I wish…I could see you now," Vash said softly, his eyes glazing over.

Meryl's heart skipped a beat. "Vash! NO!"

Vash reached up, wiping a streak of tears away with the back of his hand, his gloved fingers tracing gently across her cheek. "Don't…cry for me, Meryl."

"I…I can't help it!" she whispered.

"Everything that lives…has to die. And I…I've lived longer than anyone has the right to…"

Meryl looked back at him, choking on her own tears. Vash turned his face towards the heavens. Raising a hand, a spark of light landed on his finger, glowing brightly for a moment before fading into nothingness.

"Snow…" he breathed.

His grip around her fingers loosened, his hand falling to the ground as his wheezing breathes slowed and stopped altogether. Meryl gasped as Vash slumped forward in her arms, dead weight.

Horror twisted Meryl's features as she clutched Vash to herself tightly, a wail a grief echoing across the bare wasteland, crimson light beaming down from the Fifth Moon, painting the landscape red.

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